Southampton rebuff Reds' Lovren bid

04 July 2014 05:31

Liverpool have seen a bid rejected for Southampton centre-back Dejan Lovren, albeit for a fee Press Association Sport understands to be much lower than the reported £20million.

This has been a difficult summer to date for Saints, who have not only seen manager Mauricio Pochettino depart for Tottenham but several key players leave for pastures new.

Luke Shaw joined Manchester United in a world-record move for a teenager, while fellow England internationals Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana have both joined Liverpool.

Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is now keen to bring yet another Saints player to Anfield, but the club have so far seen interest in Croatia international Lovren rebuffed.

The 24-year-old joined Southampton from Lyon last summer in an £8.5million deal but is keen to leave and reportedly willing to go on strike to force through a move one season into a four-year deal.

It has been widely reported that Liverpool have seen a £20million bid for the defender rejected , but Press Association Sport understands their offer was far lower than that.

Lovren is in the midst of an extended break after competing at the World Cup and, while Saints may have already lost key players to the Reds, they are in a strong negotiating position after raking in nearly £60million already this summer.

That money is to be reinvested in the squad by recently-appointed manager Ronald Koeman, with executive director Les Reed reiterating that stance following the £27million plus add-ons sale of Shaw.

"While we are sad to see Luke depart the club, we fought to ensure that we got the right deal for a player in whom we have invested a great deal of work over the past decade," he said.

"This deal is a good one for Southampton Football Club, and hopefully sends a clear message to other clubs wishing to bid for our players.

"Luke's transfer fee will be reinvested into the team as our new manager, Ronald Koeman, builds for the new season and for years to come."